In my experience, this is one of the most common concerns with sauerkraut. You do not need to throw our your kraut!! Just scrape off the top layer that is moldy and throw it in the compost. Whatever kraut is not moldy is perfectly safe to eat. Repack the kraut with a weight, cover, etc, and to avoid mold in the future make sure that your brine comes above the top of the kraut so it is completely submerged - make more brine if necessary (Wild Fermentation has the proportions for this...something like 1 tablespoon per quart of water??) and pour it on top. You can also try fermenting it at a lower temperature - in a basement, for example, which will cut down on mold. Good luck!

Supposedly the type of mold that grows on fermenting saurkraut isn't harmful unless a person would be allergic to it...still... I don't like seeing it, which is why I stopped making pickles and sauerkraut in the hot months. We don't have air-conditioning and I just wait until fall to start up again when things cool down.

One time a train was leaking some gas across the river from us and we were supposed to keep out windows shut for several days in June or July, I think it was, a few years back, and my beautiful, fermenting pickles got so nasty I couldn't even think about trying to save them... our house got ridiculously hot all shut up like that without air conditioning. Now I just wait until fall to ferment because I don't like dealing with the idea of mold, even though, as I said, it's supposedly not a harmful variety.

You can always try to ferment in mason jars. Stuff your cucumbers in a quart size jar, perhaps a few cloves of garlic and several sprigs of dill inside too. This year I have also put a few fresh grape leaves in the jar before the cucumbers. ( Sandor says to put those in your crocks for crispy pickles) Then mix in a bowl....4 tablespoons of whey, 1 tablespoon of sea salt and a cup of water together. Add this into your jar of yummies and add a little more water if necessary to cover. Make sure it is at least an inch below the top of jar. Seal jar with lid...let stand at room temp for 3 days and then transfer to fridge. This method adds to the likeliness that your pickles will come out just right. Now there have been times that a jar will get *funny looking* but you will know it ..and you throw it out. But I have made many jars this way, and you don't have to deal with the mold in the way you do when you make them in the crock. I hope this helps.